Now that Joe Paterno’s legendary career is over, let’s look at JoePa by the numbers:
| Years | Win % | Conf. Win % | 10-Win Seasons | Losing Seasons | National Champs. | Bowl Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | 74.64% | 64.19% | 21 | 6 | 2 | 38 |
Let’s look at these numbers in a little more detail by decade:
| Years | Win % | Conf. Win % | 10-Win Years | Losing Years | Bowl Apps. | Top 25 (EOS) | Top 10 (EOS) | Conf. Titles | Nat. Champs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 66-69 | 81.40% | N/A | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | N/A | 0 |
| 70-79 | 81.36% | N/A | 6 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 6 | N/A | 0 |
| 80-89 | 76.74% | N/A | 5 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 5 | N/A | 2 |
| 90-00 | 75.56% | 70.31% | 5 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 01-11 | 65.41% | 58.82% | 3 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| * (EOS) = End of Season Ranking | |||||||||
A little more data on the period since 2001:
| Years | Win % Against Top 25 (TOG) | Win % Against Top 5 (TOG) | Win % Against Over .500 Teams | Bowl Win % | Top 25 Finishes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-2011 | 32.50% | 0.00% | 43.06% | 50.00% | 5 |
| * (TOG) = Time of Game Ranking | |||||
So, what do the numbers tell us?
They tell us that Paterno is one of the most successful college football coaches in history. They tell us that he won 409 of the 548 games he was the head coach. They tell us that he won 10 or more games in 46.67% of the full seasons he was the head coach. They tell us that he won two national titles, three Big Ten titles, and finished in the AP Top 10 21 different times.
Unfortunately the numbers also tell us that Joe Paterno’s ability to compete for national championships and beat the elite programs in college football was deteriorating along with his eyesight.
Check out Coaches By The Numbers for more statistical coaching analysis.
